Financial difficulties have led many Gen Yers to forgo home-ownership, marriage, and kids for the time being – but that doesn’t mean they’re without a rich family life. Instead of following traditional life paths, they’re embracing plants, pets, and friends to feel a sense of domestic fulfillment.

Starting a family may once have been as simple as getting married, buying a home, and having kids, but as life stages blur and gender roles become less relevant, the traditional rules are being rewritten. Canvas8 spoke to sociologist Philip N. Cohen to understand how the family unit is changing.

The concept of family in America is diversifying – only half of American households now fit the nuclear family stereotype. As a result, people want brand marketing to be more representative, which is why IKEA US has released a festive advert highlighting how norms have changed.

HP challenges representations of the traditional 'All-American Family' in its new ad, reflecting how heterosexual families of the same race now only represent one third of American families. Fed up with stereotypes, people want to see more authentic representations of society in the media.